The Best, The Worst, and The Unknown
by Freestyle 763
Summary: Ikki Kurogane and Stella Vermillion have always had a weird thing going on since he walked in on her changing in his room. Now, with the competition coming up, a crux has been thrown into the mix. A crux that could bring them closer, or bridge them apart. Rated M just in case and for obvious reasons.


Hijikata was caught up in the leisure of his day.

After a hard and intense training session at the dojo and his home gym, he sat on his small couch with a glass of whiskey in hand, and the TV blaring with some strange show playing. His feet kicked up on the table, he had little worries at this moment. Of course he was underage, and shouldn't be drinking, but he couldn't really care less.

He had been on his own longer than he could remember-jumping from home to home until he settled down into this modest home, and orphanage to orphanage when he had been younger. Nobody really told him what to do, and he enjoyed his independence.

While most kids his age-seventeen were going to school, or those gifted-called Mage Knights, went to the Hagu Academy, and other academies like it; he worked to earn a living.

To keep a roof over his head. To keep his belly full and fridge stocked. He had no time for such trivial things as an academy or school-it was all redundant and a waste.

He wasn't technically a drop out, as he had enrolled for the Hagu Academy after getting expelled from his high school, but never bothered to show up, even when he was accepted. He did graduate from elementary school and had the basic education, but after learning he had superhuman abilities for lack of a better term, he enrolled in Hagu Academy, because living a normal life with normal people would be impossible.

Having those strange, extraordinary dormant powers deep within him would make any chance at a normal life near impossible. At least in the school system. He could work, his immense strength and power making him an easy hire for many people that needed the help. High school had been something of nonexistent as he spent all of his time, even now, working.

He had been accepted into the academy oddly enough.

Perhaps his rather...Violent childhood had made them more apt in accepting him. Most of the people in such academies were there since they were children. He always displayed his dormant ability-physicality. Every fight he got in nobody could beat him, whether it was ten or twenty people-he was too ferocious, too fierce, and too abrasive. There were many students at the Hagu Academy, and other academies like it, that were filled to the brim with people that were very powerful in magic. They could manifest weapons, use fire, ice, and other unimaginable things.

Hijikata didn't have any of that at his disposal. It was only his physicality that he had. No magic power or ability, no latent potential of any regard in that area. He had to scratch, claw, bite, and fight for everything that he had-he wasn't a genius or prodigy, nor did he come from those families that just churned them out one by one.

After pondering it over, he found going to Hagu Academy would be a waste. Going to any academy would be a waste. Someone like him didn't belong there-he'd never fit in, and he'd never fit in with the general public. Forever the lone wolf. He wasn't a Mage Knight by any stretch. He didn't hail from a family or clan that produced exceptional warriors or geniuses. His background was a plain as the normal person.

They had called him repeatedly and sent emails, but he ignored all of them. The Director Kuruno Shinguuji even called and sent emails, but he also didn't reply to any of those. He didn't even take the necessary tests to be graded accordingly at the academy and put into a 'rank'. Hijikata was certain people at the Hagu Academy called him 'nobody', because as far as they knew-he was nobody. They never seen him. They never heard about him. He didn't hail from a famous family or clan. So, in all essence-he was nobody.

With a heavy sigh-his sore lower back and shoulders protesting every movement, he hauled himself off of the couch as the TV show ended and cut to a news report. Not caring for the news in general, he moved towards his fridge, emptying the glass of whiskey-because certainly there'd be something on about Hagu Academy, and quickly got out the ingredients to make a sandwich.

Hagu Academy always came up in the news reports. Just like they had their daily things with the weather and the traffic, Hagu Academy was a constant. There was always something going at the academy. There was a new student, a new prospect, a new person that set a different standard or record. Most recently Stella Vermillion-second imperial princess to the Vermillion Kingdom enrolled at the Hagu Academy.

That had been a few weeks ago, but the news report was still playing, along with others.

No surprise she had been accepted. She was immediately given the A rank. Her test scores were the best since who knows when-nobody topped her at all. She was hailed as a genius and prodigy, even among the prestigious Vermillion Kingdom. In short, it basically means she has no equal, is peerless, and is of a royal birth. Her cards were all lined up perfectly, that all she had to do was talk and walk, and she had it good.

Hijikata sneered in contempt-the mere thought of having to be within a hundred yards of the little princess was enough to nauseate him. Taking a vicious bite out of his sandwich, he surmised he wouldn't be within ten thousand yards of the haughty girl if he could help it. No doubt that little girl was so full of herself. Those famous families and clans tended to be high and mighty and snobbish.

Everyone else was like ants to them-too beneath them to even take notice. Put into this box called insignificant and pitiful. If someone from these families didn't meet their status quo they were shunned, disowned, or worse.

There were many tales that failures would run away and die of starvation.

There was the rumor that it happened most recently with the Kurogane family.

With clear resolve Hijikate finished his sandwich while turning off the TV-not caring to hear about some great battle that took place at the school, and went into his bedroom.

He'd sleep the rest of the day, and if not he'd go to dojo.

He had off for a few days.

This was the life.

* * *

Ikki was simple and sincere in his thoughts and feelings.

It was for this reason when the director called him and his roommate-Stella, up into her office his first question was.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Stella, naturally had an answer.

"Aside from peeking on me when I change?"

Ikki looked at the director with an uneasy gaze, torn between laughing nervously, and scratching at the back of his head. True, he had walked in on Stella when she was changing, true he did try to make it even by stripping, and true there had been times when he did peek at her skin. But, those times when he peeked it was purely unintentional. He was a gentleman, and would never willingly peek on any girl, even if it wasn't Stella.

Most girls couldn't wield a sword that burned at three thousand odd degrees, but the point still remained.

The director looked mildly amused with the two. Truthfully she found the roommates to be somewhat of a source of entertainment for herself, but also a potential for the Academy. Together they could refine and strengthen each other-Ikki could temper Stella's fiery spirit, and Stella could emblazon his already iron will. That all depended if the two could reciprocate and build a rapport. Both sexes did share rooms at Hagu Academy. There was reciprocation and rapport, but with these two...

Simpering softly, she concluded that maybe not letting either of these two they were roommates, until they were in her office for the scene at their dorm, was for the better. If she had given them an indication or notice, certainly their meeting would have gone differently. Ikki wouldn't have walked into his room without a care in the world, and Stella most certainly wouldn't have removed any article of clothing had she known he would be entering. Their duel never would have happened, and their skills would have never been showcased.

Their fight pleased her-they were possibly the strongest of the academy.

That is why she needed them at this moment.

"No, Ikki. You've done nothing wrong." Kuruno said smoothly, cupping her hands on the desk.

"Then why-"

"I'm getting to that." Kuruno said, gently cutting off the younger man.

"Idiot." Stella muttered.

Not sure what to do-Ikki just sulked, sort of.

Kuruno continued, pulling out a file from a drawer on her side, and set it on the desk.

"A student profile?" Stella asked, bright crimson eyes tinging with curiosity.

"Yes. The student in question is a male, aged eighteen years, and is a Blazer..." Kuruno paused, eyes steady on the two youngsters. "He is pure physicality, though."

Ikki looked a little at a loss. He was considered a failure, but even he could manifest a sword. If what the director was implying held any merit-this young man didn't even have that ability. His power was solely concentrated within his body-it was like a spring compressing and compressing. While he and others projected outwards, and envisioned-he focused inward, and continued to focus.

It also made this young man something of an anomaly because...Someone like this hadn't ever been around for a very long time.

Maybe he just couldn't manifest a weapon yet? Maybe it was too rough?

"What do you mean by pure physicality? Like Ikki-I mean this pervert sitting next to me?" Stella was quick to correct her mistake.

Again, Ikki could only sigh morbidly.

"As you both are aware; Blazers use their soul as the power for a weapon, and wield a supernatural ability through magical power."

Ikki and Stella both nodded.

Kuruno closed her eyes. "This student does wield a supernatural ability through magical power, even if his potential in that is null."

Both youngsters blinked, waiting for their superior to continue.

"However, unlike both of you...And, everyone here for that matter, he doesn't manifest a weapon or use a sword. His weapon is his body. Well, at least until he gets the proper training, that is."

"But, that doesn't make any sense..." Stella said, fingers resting on her chin. "We all use a sword, though others sometimes have other weapons. Nobody is strictly a hand to hand combatant..."

Kuruno turned her eyes onto Ikki, waiting for him to speak his piece.

"It doesn't make sense." He ventured.

"I feel the same way, and it's made me curious. It's why I accepted this young man, despite him not showing up to the tests. Though, he's been enrolled here for two years now, a year before you, Ikki."

Stella and Ikki traded a glance.

That was unusual. Everyone came for the tests-it was like a badge of honor to be an A rank. For that matter, any rank was a badge of honor, except for the F rank; which only Ikki held. Stella was an automatic A rank. The confusion was caused on two ends-first why did thing young man not bother to show up, and the second, why wasn't this young man bothering to show up, despite being accepted?

Ikki had shown up early, even if he knew things weren't going to go perfectly.

"Uh, have I ever seen him?" Ikki asked when the silence went on for too long.

"No." Was the director's curt reply.

"Well, sensei...What does that have to do with us?" Stella asked, carefully.

Kuruno narrowed her eyes gently, exhaling a stream of smoke from her mouth. "I want you both to bring him here to Hagu Academy...As you are aware, these last few years we haven't been at the top like we usually would be. True, we are still the best academy, but we are not what we once were."

"What should we do if he says no or refuses?" Ikki ventured a bit nervously.

"Use force. This isn't some ordinary person, keep in mind. He is extremely powerful." She opened the file, took out a slip of paper, and slid it towards the young duo.

Stella was the first to read through the basic information. First name: Hijikata. Last name: N/A. Height: 1.98 meters. Weight: 90.7 kilograms. There was nothing about his test scores, abilities, or anything of that sort. Anything that would make the director inclined to accept him into Hagu Academy. All in all, Stella didn't find this person to be so special, but she felt the same about Ikki, and he proved her wrong.

But, Ikki was willing to go above and beyond-she actually seen him.

She never seen this Hijikata.

Smiling, Kuruno shuffled another paper forward. "I'm sure you're curious of my reasoning."

Ikki silently gulped, reading over this particular slip of paper. Most of the students, for lack of a better term that enrolled in Hagu Academy, or academies like it, had relatively clean records. His was spotless. Of course, he hadn't gone to Hagu Academy when he was just a little brat-there was an age restriction at times since it did have to do with one's ability and progression.

Hijikata's record was the equivalent if a teacher were to grade a writing report, or critique it, and the whole thing was just covered in red. All he could read was suspension. Suspension. Suspension. Pre-expulsion. Pre-expulsion. Expulsion. Expulsion. The slip of paper was like a laundry list. It seemed there wasn't a day that went by, that Hijikata hadn't got into some fight. Some confrontation. From the time he was four, to the time he was fourteen-Hijikata had basically been going to war.

He didn't even go to school because he was suspended so much due to fighting. There were pre expulsions. Expulsions. The whole nine yards and then some. It seemed this Hijikata was a wild and stormy case.

It could be a case of his dormant powers flying out of control...

"This Hijikata is violent." Stella finally speaks.

"Someone like him can make or break the Hagu Academy...Just like you and Ikki."

Stella nods, eyes closed for a second. "You want us to bring him here?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if we have to use our abilities? He isn't the type of person that is going to come of his own free will, it seems." Ikki said a bit hastily, already seeing the damage of what their battle could do to the city.

After all, he didn't back down, and this Hijikata would be more inclined to steamroll him than anything else.

It would get intense, quick.

They weren't allowed to use their abilities outside of the training grounds and dueling arenas. This Hijikata didn't seem to have any such reservations, and he wouldn't think twice before sending two blocks of buildings toppling down like dominoes. They wouldn't even be on the campus of their academy, but actually in the main city of Japan-not their little sequestered academy.

"He will be...Reasonable."


End file.
